Welcome Home, Saotome
by RanmaLove
Summary: Newlyweds, in love, and happy. So, unbelievably happy. But no one in Nerima can get a happy-ever-after- especially Ranma and Akane. Except, no one was expecting Ukyo to die.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.

-XxX-

Welcome, Mrs. Saotome!

-XxX-

_How did this happen to me?_

She asked herself, stripping herself of her wedding dress and slipping on her nightgown, which was also Nabiki's wedding gift. Of course this had to be given to her _on _her wedding night, since it was unbelievably short and revealing. She sighed and covered herself with a sweater as she brushed her teeth and washed off her makeup.

This was happening all to fast for her to comprehend. One minute she was engaged, and the next she was married? If only it wasn't for Happosai, she seethed, twisting the bathroom door open. If only he had healed a second sooner, then, she wouldn't be in this mess. This coincidental, far too suspicious, well-thought out mess.

How was she supposed to believe that her wedding was carried out moments after she gave Happosai the medicine for his unexplainable illness? In mere seconds, Ranma was in a tuxedo, she was in a wedding dress, and a priest was combining the two families forever. It shouldn't even count as a marriage since Ranma and her didn't even kiss! They both stood there frozen, and then her dad just made them sign a marriage license and forced them together.

But that's not even the worst part. Suddenly, Happosai waltzed in the room, "Happy days, happy days! I'm cured! Cured!" Isn't that even slightly suspicious? From the moment that psychic informed her of Happosai's sickness and her marriage to Ranma, she should have packed her things and bolted. But now, they were all alone in their new house bought for them, and Ranma was in their bedroom. Their bedroom.

But that should be the least of her troubles. Tonight or tomorrow, Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi would be trying to kill her. Those lunatics only need one hour max to figure out where Ranma is, what happened to him in the last minute, and who was involved. It's only expected that they should be breaking down her door any moment.

She wondered how Ranma felt. Could it be that he's the one suffering most of all? He always said he would hate to be married to an uncute girl like her, so now his worst nightmare came true. She opened the bathroom door and ambled to their bedroom as her hand lay frozen on the doorknob. What lied on the other side of the room was beyond her imagination. Still, if he thought that _she _would be the one to sleep on the floor, he had another thing coming!

She opened the door and found him gazing at the ceiling, his face completely red. She felt the blood rush to her face as she shut the door behind her, making them both jump. He was laying on their bed, so she's guessing he thinks it's okay for them to sleep together…? Or maybe he really does want her to sleep on the floor. She snarled, no matter what happened, there was no way she was sleeping on the floor.

She wasn't really sure how she should start the conversation. _'Hey, can you move over?' _No, that's not it. She can't just make a pervert like him feel its okay to sleep with her. She wouldn't want her friends to get the wrong idea. How about, _'Get out, pervert. I'm sleeping on the bed!' _Nah, that would just start an argument. The last thing she wanted right now was an argument.

… But he didn't exactly argue with the marriage, though.

Could it be that he really did say he loved her at Jussenkyo? Well there was just one way to find out. She slowly approached him and saw him become crimson red, if you think it's humanly possible to reach the shade of his face. She sat at the end of the bed. He was only in shorts and a tank top- why wasn't he in his green pajamas he was so fond of? Or was this some type of advice their father had given him for his big night as a married man? _What… a…. pervert!_

"What are you doing?"

She growled, yanking the sheets off of him and was rewarded with the pleasure of hearing his squeals of protest. There was no way Ranma would willingly sleep with her unless something was involved- in other words, some sort of way to satisfy his ego. She was not going to allow him the satisfaction of her humiliation. After all, it was his other suitors he desired. Not her. She watched his face morph from embarrassed to furious in mere seconds.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

She crossed her hands over her chest and glared at him. "I mean, what do you think you're doing sleeping in _my _bed!" She spat.

"Last time I checked, this is _my _room." He shot back hotly.

She was quick to retort until he held up his index finger. Curious, she followed the direction of his finger until it halted on the front door. _Ranma Saotome's Room (No uncute girls allowed!) _Her head snapped in his direction, and there plastered on his face was a triumphant grin.

"Gee, seems like someone isn't only uncute but also really dumb." He smirked, sticking his tongue out at her.

"You are just so immature!"

She seethed through her teeth, now frustrated with the fact that he truly _didn't _want to sleep with her and she fell right for his trap. Through her frustration she suddenly felt tears stream down her cheeks as she made her way to the living room. After Jussenkyo, nothing changed between them? He was still the same immature idiot he was when she first met him. This was all so stupid!

Ranma cringed as the door slammed shut behind her. She couldn't be that mad, right? It was only a joke after all. He sighed and faced to his right, where coincidentally a photo of their marriage sat on his desk. Of course his insane parents took millions of photos and developed them in so little time. She looked absolutely beautiful in that wedding gown, though. Her face crimson as if set ablaze. He grinned, analyzing the marriage that took place hours ago. How was he suppose to be ready for commitment? All he devoted himself to was his martial arts, but that kind of work was beneficial. Train now and defeat your opponents later.

He groaned and tried to forget about the vacant space next to him. There were other bedrooms in this apartment, it didn't necessarily mean she had to sleep in this one. He assured himself this but continued tossing and turning for the next thirteen minutes. You see, this kind of trouble didn't happen when he wasn't married. A room was upstairs for Akane and a guest room for him downstairs. Easy, right? Yet, now he had to endure the cold shoulder he would be receiving from his wife all day tomorrow.

_Tomorrow._

Tomorrow is when the chaos begins. His crazed suitors, Akane's crazed fans, his family and her family, and all of Furinkan would barge through his doors requesting all different things. So, for now, was it okay to get one measly night sleep? But he wouldn't get it if his wife intentionally avoided him and brooded in the other room. He was seventeen now, that meant he knew Akane for three years. None of this should be new to him. And it wasn't, it was just that he wasn't use to her pain or tears.

He decided to reminisce of the hectic wedding that took place in the Tendo dojo. Happosai, the idiot, just had to get sick. If it wasn't for him, he wouldn't be in this situation right now. Akane and him should not have to suffer for the old man's impeccable timing. He was fine, right? That meant the wedding should have been called _off__! _But no, Happosai just happened to recover when he and Akane signed the marriage license. The stupid, stupid, stupid marriage license.

Funny how their family hasn't called them once since the move. Funny was how nor he or Akane figured that their items were gone until after their parents were shoving them into a car and off to a life together. He was so sure she was probably calling her friends right at this moment to drone on and on about how her life couldn't get any worse than this. So what if he wasn't like Ryoga constantly begging for dates and what not? And so what if he didn't shower her with gifts, or wasn't as kind to her as the other boys?

So what, so what, so what.

He glanced at the alarm clock resting on his table. It was midnight. He closed his eyelids, if he didn't gather enough energy to handle the mighty obstacle that lay ahead for tomorrow, he would be a goner. He crossed his hands over his chests as he slowly drifted off to sleep…

"Ranma!"

His eyes shot open as he glanced around the room, searching for the reason for hearing voices in his head. Could it be that he honestly heard someone's voice? He was a martial artist, he could have sensed someone's power level from a decent distance away. Maybe guilt was just eating away at him. After awhile, he closed his eyes once more and leaned back into a comfortable position. Of course that didn't last long as an image of the furious Soun flashed before his eyes.

"M-Mr. Tendo?"

"That's right boy! It's your father-in-law! And if you don't go and apologize to my little Akane, I swear I will come and hunt you down."

Ranma shuddered. "B-But it's not my fault!"

"I don't care whose fault it was, just go apologize to my little girl!"

Ranma jolted out of bed as he scurried to the kitchen where his wife lay. She was by nowhere close to sleep when he noticed her eyes puffy and red. Was she here… crying? He rubbed his arm sheepishly as he approached his wife with caution. Keeping an eye on her, he sat behind her on the couch. He felt uneasy as her eyes locked with his; her brown orbs filled with anger and grief.

"What do you want?" She spat angrily, scooting away from him.

"Are you okay, 'Kane?" He asked her, ignoring her previous question.

"Oh, like you care, Ranma!" She stood and tried to walk away before she felt him grab her wrist gently yet firmly into place. "L-Let me go!" She protested, struggling against his grip knowing all to well it was hopeless.

"Because I do care," he told her sincerely, setting her down next to him. "And I'm sorry."

Akane blinked a few times, registering what it was Ranma just said. There were a few things Ranma did not make a habit of. That was accepting defeat, quitting, and apologizing. Not to mention the side touch of his 'I care' speech. Either way, she decided that maybe it was too good to be true and frowned at him. "Oh, I'm sure you do."

He sighed at her sarcasm. "You are just so uncute. Think 'bout it, 'Kane. If I didn't care, would I still hang around you all the time?" He felt a bit of satisfaction as she pondered over his rhetorical question. Well Akane was an intelligent person, right? There was no other way to get through to her than insulting her or referring to a logical example. This was easy right? If he didn't care, he wouldn't choose to be around her. So that meant he cared about her.

_Oh dear God. What am I saying?_

Akane sniffled and wiped the remaining tears on her cheek as she gazed at Ranma curiously. He admitted he cared about her. So that must mean that they were more than just friends? Because you can care about friends, but you just don't decide to go ahead with the marriage. Oh, she wished P-chan was here so she could ask his opinion. Believe it or not, P-chan was rather intellectual. It was almost as if he had the brain of a human.

She decided to press the issue. "Care like how, Ranma? Like a friend, or like a wife?"

He gulped. He began to fiddle with his fingers as he became unbelievably flustered. "W-Wi… wif… w-wife." He finished lamely as he refused to make eye contact with her. Of course Akane could have agreed to this marriage due to guilt. She has done nicer things, after all. And when the room became unbelievably quiet, Ranma Saotome's confidence had completely vanished.

She could not believe what she just heard. Ranma cared for her as a wife. But that could mean that it was more than caring…? Perhaps it was love? She began to blush profusely at the thought as her body acted far faster than her brain could comprehend. She placed his hand in hers as she leaned closer and closer, until Ranma's face was inches away from hers.

Then she kissed him.

It wasn't passionate or long, but it was her way of speaking the words her tongue could not form. She felt all of her insecurities fade along with her kiss as all the doubts of Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi fell far behind her. Ranma loved her, and that was all that mattered right now. All of those times they used dirty tricks to force emotions out of Ranma, but at the end he fell for her. The uncute clumsy tomboy is who he fell for.

"I care a lot about you too, Ranma." She whispered, holding his hand tightly in hers.

"Like a husband or a friend?"

"Like a husband," she decided, flashing him a brilliant smile. "Definitely a husband."

He planted a small kiss on her forehead and smiled. "I guess I would prefer that to a friend."

"You should," she joked, and leaned on him and realized that maybe sleeping on the couch wasn't so bad after all. "Hey, Ranma?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you say you love me at Jussenkyo?" She asked, ready to hear the final answer once and for all. Of course right now it didn't matter if he said it or not since he confessed it here. But she just wanted to satisfy the part of her that assured her that Ranma never muttered such things to her even if she was on the brink of death.

"You know what, 'Kane. I think I did."

Akane felt a surge of happiness flow through her as she tackled Ranma to the couch, her arms looped tightly around his neck. So she wasn't crazy! Ranma had told her he loved her over a year ago. Why couldn't she just have caught on? She laid on top of Ranma as she smiled crazily into his neck. There was absolutely nothing in the world that could bring her down right this moment.

"Well, I guess I love you too."

"Ha, I knew you had the hots for me." He teased lightly, earning a giggle from his wife. He was blushing from the sudden outburst from her, but he found that he enjoyed it. He liked knowing that Akane could do this and he wouldn't earn a mallet from anyone. Even more so, she just stated she loved him. He guess that this night was a night of firsts. And he would never forget it.

"You think _everyone _has the hots for you." She retorted, both of them now laughing.

For a few moments, the both laid in that position, not wanting to get up. She never quite thought about what it would be like to be married. When she was fifteen, she was completely sure that marriage was a way to become a man's slave. Cook for him, clean for him, constantly make him happy. But now, sitting with Ranma, she could have not been more wrong. She understood now that marriage was about spending your entire life with the one you care about. Forever.

Her mind quickly came back to certain rules she must set for her husband. Of course these were mandatory if they were to have a healthy, clean relationship. Well as healthy of a relationship _they _could have. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and noticed him gazing at the ceiling. She cleared her throat and hoisted herself from the greatest, if not comfortable, position of her life as she locked eyes with him.

"There are some rules." She informed him, offering him a slight smile.

"Rules?" He asked, propping himself on his elbows. "Like?"

"You have to tell your fiancées the truth, Ranma. You can't continue to want them hanging around just to satisfy your ego," she told him sternly. "Got it? The moment they return, you must tell them. If not, then I don't think I can continue to stay married with you."

He nodded and placed his hands up as a shield. "I get it, 'Kane. Don't worry, I'll tell them the first minute I see them."

She smiled, now satisfied. "Alright, well, I'm going to go to sleep now," she informed him, leaving him confused on the couch. She turned and beamed mirthfully at him. "Well, aren't you coming?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure if he had the courage to get into the same bed with her without consent. Even if they were technically allowed, he still was afraid of her mallet that she stashed away hidden until the right moment. He nodded and led her to their bedroom, stopping quickly to rip up the paper taped to the front door. From what he could tell, Akane was far from uncute. He decided to sleep on the left side of the bed as Akane wriggled in on the right, almost immediately sending her fragrance wafting around the room. She smelled unbelievably good.

Akane scooted closer to him as he slung his hand around her waist protectively and Akane slung hers across his chest. They were both new to the marriage thing, but yet both of them acted so natural with this. Akane enjoyed the warmth of having Ranma next to her rather than constantly assuming he was okay in his futon away from his fiancées and out of danger.

"Night, Ranma." She murmured.

"Night, 'Kane." He whispered into her ear, waiting for her to drift off to sleep before he followed after her. She was now his, and he didn't have to worry about her getting kidnapped or hurt by one of his opponents. He could always crack one eye open and see his purpose for existence right next to him. He smiled and laid his head back, thinking of a plan to break it to his crazed suitors. Of course it would be the hardest explaining it to Ukyo, but for Akane it was worth it. He would do anything for her.

"I love you, Akane." He whispered, kissing her lightly on the cheek. He finally realized something he loved more than martial arts, something he loved more than life itself. All the riches and materialistic things combined.

It was her.

-XxX-

A/N: Aw, aren't they so cute? Alright, let's not yell at this poor amateur of a writer who put this awesome couple all lovey-dovey. Anyways, you know that if Ranma and Akane ever told one another that they loved the other, then they would be _this _mushy. Plus, look on the bright side, I only made them kiss twice. Err, twice, right? Well, let's just give me the benefit of the doubt. For those who are still fuzzy on what happened at their wedding, the story follows:

Some episode in the 40's - I'm not quite sure of the number- The Last Days of Happosai one? Yeah, remember when Ranma and Akane almost got married in one week because their parents wanted Happosai to be alive when to see when they got married? Yeah, I always wondered what would happen if they actually did get married. So thus, this story came into effect.

Happosai, Shampoo, Kodachi, and all the other insane characters will play be in the next chapter or the one after that. I'm not sure. I've always wanted to do this type of story where Ranma and Akane were already married, so I think I am going to enjoy doing this story.

But enough about this, review the story! I love reviews since they give me courage to write. Thanks, you are all awesome. I do honestly love all of you. All of you. Thanks for taking your time to read (if ya' did), and I'll see you all later! XOXO

Oh yeah, I have returned from not having any updates in awhile. RanmaLove lives on!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½

Welcome Home, Saotome!

**Chapter Two**

There was a nagging at her heart, to say the least. She should be ecstatic that she had Ranma all to herself with no more of life's crazy plans to tear them apart- but she wasn't. She was feeling something she never had, something she wasn't able to explain. She rose out of bed two hours before Ranma and hopped into the showers, hoping the warm water would wash away her odd feelings.

But that didn't do anything either.

She silently slipped downstairs, stealthily passing by her and Ranma's bedroom so she wouldn't wake him. She just really wanted to be alone as she decided how to approach the knot forming in her stomach.

Every girl has pre-marital jitters, but she's never heard of post-marital awkwardness, as far as that goes. Maybe she wasn't accustom to sharing a life with Ranma yet and that resulted in the peculiar feelings she was going through along with a little something else. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on... didn't want to admit to herself.

So she didn't and forced herself to erase the thought out of her entirely as she poured herself some cereal- another gift from her parents: food. She sat, munching in silence, pretending to herself that she was still home with her parents, still unmarried, and Ranma was back to his jerky ways. Not considerate, gentle, or at all loving.

Thunder roared outside, the weather matching her feelings somewhat perfectly. She sighed loudly, burying her face into her palms as she silently wept. What was wrong with her? Why was she crying? Nothing physically was bothering her but there was that nagging in her heart again ever since she woke up this morning.

She quickly wiped away her tears, dropping her dishes into the sink. _You're being pathetic, _she scolded herself, _these feelings are temporary. You're __happy__ with Ranma. _She assured herself, not quite interpreting the words into her heart.

"I need fresh air." She thought aloud, grabbing her jacket from the coat rack and wrapping it around her yellow pajamas. Without leaving a note or any other method to inform Ranma of where she was going, she stepped outside into the free world.

Her foot was one step out the door before she was acquainted with a teary Ukyo, equipped with her abnormally sized spatula and glaring blue eyes. Akane scowled, plastering on her angry face despite of her previous confused feelings. She couldn't be vulnerable in front of Ukyo. Angry, deceiving... crying, Ukyo?

Her facade dropped to the floor as her eyes expressed genuine concern. "Ukyo?"

"Akane," she spat, her voice not obtaining any sort of malice. "You tricked us, Akane. You stole Ranma from us without even a duel; without even a notification; without him even telling me goodbye.."

Akane was suddenly aware of what was truly bothering Ukyo. It wasn't her at all; it was Ranma's lack of respect to confront her and tell her the truth. She was suddenly feeling sympathy-

_Sympathy!_

The nagging feeling at Akane's heart was sympathy for all of Ranma's suitors who truly loved him (some in there own psychotic ways) with every fiber of their beings. She was sorry for them that their little "affair" with Ranma had gone on for far too long. That Ukyo, Shampoo, and Kodachi would be cooped up into their rooms as they wept longingly for him.

She was sorry for herself as well. She was the cause of their pain and suddenly she was furious with Ranma- despised him in fact. He had kept her along with everyone else on his puppet strings as he toyed with them for years. And now she was the object of their hate. The object of their pain. The obstacle between their goal.

"You swine!" She screamed, swinging blindly at Akane. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!"

Akane easily eluded the first hit as she tried to reason with her. "Ukyo, you're not thinking straight. Just go home and we can talk about this later. Ukyo, please!"

But Ukyo had no intention of reasoning as the last flicker of sanity drained from her eyes. "I hate you, Akane! I'm going to kill you both!"

She thrust her spatula at her, Akane stepping to the side too slowly as the spatula cut her arm. She grunted, placing her hand over the bloody wound as she accepted that she couldn't defeat Ukyo. Not when Ukyo was this angry, this insane. She closed her eyes as she braced herself for Ukyo's next attack.

"That's enough, Ucchan."

Akane opened her eyes, one at a time to see Ranma grasping Ukyo's wrist tightly as she struggled against him with all of her might. "Let me go!" She cried, a stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. "I hate you, Ranma! I never want to see you again! I'll kill-"

Ranma interrupted her. "I never want to see you again, either. If you ever lay a single on Akane again I won't mind breaking my policy of never hitting a girl," he suddenly released her and she dropped to the floor.

"Why, Ranma?" She whispered, her body trembling violently. "Why couldn't you love me? I was willing to give you everything. Why couldn't you just love me?"

He handed her her spatula. "You're a friend, Ucchan. That's all you ever will be."

She snatched her spatula, confirming her defeat. "Don't call me that, you bastard." Her eyes wandered to Akane, "I should have let Shampoo kill you. I never want to see you again." She repeated to the both of them this time. Then she was gone.

Ranma's attention turned to Akane. "Are you OK, Akane?"

She scowled at him. "You're revolting."

He frowned. "I'm not in the mood for your-"

"You're not in the _mood_?" She asked incredulously, cutting him off. "That girl loved you with everything she had and you toyed with her like she was a rag doll. All of those years you played with her heart- and not just her! Shampoo, Kodachi, and me.." Suddenly the tears we flowing from her cheeks and she found herself vulnerable. Again.

She was still unable to forgive Ranma for all of the roller coaster of emotions he had put her through all of those years. Regardless of her telling him she loved him, which of course was true, she still bundled inside of her the hate, grief, and vulnerability. This chat was long overdue.

He sat next to her, rubbing the wound with alcohol and wrapping it with a band-aid. She buried her face into his chest, his arms wrapping securely around her as she gripped his shirt tightly. She felt his fingers groom her hair in silence as they sat in that position for twenty-five minutes.

"I love you."

Akane didn't respond, even though their was no doubt in her mind that she loved him. She loved him with every part that made her human, with each breath and each time he said her name. She loved the way he laughed, concentrated during his martial arts, she loved him because he was the purpose for her existence. So why was she punishing him?

"I love you more." She whispered, removing her head from his chest and gazing up at his passionate blue eyes.

"I doubt it," he murmured, lowering his head to her as they locked lips. He pulled away, a small smile on his face. "Does this mean Ukyo is no longer going to interfere with our marriage?"

Akane sighed. "Not Ukyo, Ranma, but what about the others? I have you, but at the end of the day they have no one. I just feel like I'm responsible for their pain, and don't you dare try to say I'm not. If we weren't married, maybe they could still go to sleep believing they had a chance. But me being married to you is trampling all over their dreams. It's just a lot of weight on my shoulders."

Ranma stood up angrily. "So, what? Are you going to leave me now for someone who won't cause such a controversy? It isn't your fault they're angry, Akane. It's mine. I used them for my own stupid purposes but that doesn't mean I don't regret any of it. And I sure as hell don't want to lose you either! But you're not fighting, Akane. You don't seem like you love me at all! I would break a thousand hearts just to be with you for a day... but you're not even willing to break three. But whatever, do whatever frees your conscious."

"Ranma, stop."

He paused and turned halfway towards her. "What."

"I don't want you to go," she was silent, and then added with more force: "I love you and you love me so we should be together. No matter what anyone wants."

He wasn't convinced. "What about Shampoo, Akane? And Kodachi? Are you going to leave me when you see their devastation? You know I want to be with you, Akane, but you haven't exactly shown me that you're happy with me," he sighed, not looking at her when he said: "I saw you get out of bed early."

She cringed. "I want you to stay," she peered into his eyes, hoping the emotion was reaching him. "If you go I'll find you and kick your little butt into the sky. You hear me?"

A small smile broke through his lips. "It seems like you're returning back to normal."

She returned his smile. "I'll be even more normal when we're done with the whole apologetic scene. Just two more girls to go through." Her laugh was tense and he seemed to notice because he began chuckling.

"We'll do it together, Akane," he sauntered toward her, his arms wrapping around her tiny waist as he brought her closer to him.

Her arms linked around his neck. "Promise me that nothing will interfere with our marriage. Through sickness and health, poverty and wealth, 'til death do us 'part."

"You may now kiss the bride," he finished for her.

Akane pursued her lips. "You know, I don't exactly remember that part of our wedding," she joked, pulling away from him. "And I remember most of our insane wedding."

He laughed. "The whole Happosai thing _had _to be planned," he continued, "the way he just magically danced through the doorway. I mean, was their no brains behind this operation?"

"Oh, and you aren't that brainless either, idiot?" She laughed at the frown that formed on his face. "Either way, I want to visit them today. Is there anything you have to do, say, around six o'clock?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I might just practice some martial arts before dinner-" His eyes widened. "Speaking of dinner, did Kasumi... uh... you know.." His sentence trailed off as he met the eyes of his bride.

"Yes, she did," she replied, containing the anger inside; not because of Ranma, but because of her own failure at bridal duties. "But she can't keep doing it, though. I'll have to enroll in some culinary class in our school or something. I'll learn. Even if I have to learn from Shampoo's grandmother."

"That's the spirit," he agreed, glad for his own health. "But now that we're on the topic of Shampoo, do you think we should go and visit her and Kodachi today? Or, we can let Ukyo do it for us." He suggested miserably.

"No," she disagreed, shaking her head. "If she's going to hear from anyone, it has to be us. I don't want Ukyo to fill her head with lies. You know how they can be sometimes."

"Ukyo?" He repeated in disbelief. "She wouldn't do that to me."

"After what you did to her?" Akane countered, raising her eyebrows at him. "Did you not see the look in her eye? She wasn't her normal Ukyo, Ranma. The girl lost all her sanity. I have a really bad feeling that maybe her threats were more than just threats."

"You mean that whole 'I'll kill you!' garbage? Nah, she was just angry. I'm pretty sure she'll get out of her little funk-"

"Funk?" Akane snapped, suddenly riled up again. "The girl was madly in love with you! We're talking over the edge kind of love and you think this is just a little 'funk'? You're unbelievable!" She cried, tightening the lace around her jacket as she slipped on some shoes.

"Where are you going?" He screamed after her. "Akane!"

"Don't follow me!" She screamed over her shoulder as she left their house. Upon request, she was happy to see that he didn't follow her. How could he have been so insensitive to her like that? It were moments like these that she wondered if Ranma even had a heart.

But he was kind to her, so why was she so concerned about those other girls? If they had the chance to kill Akane off from the beginning, they probably would have! So, why was she now worried about their lives when they had done all of those terrible things to her in the past?

She placed the hood over her head, the rain falling heavily on her. Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her and was not shocked to see Ranma holding an umbrella over her. "I told you not to follow me, dummy." But the anger disappeared from her voice as she stood on her tiptoes, giving him a quick peck on his lips. "I'm sorry I got so angry before. Again."

He didn't reply, so she continued. "I'm sorry for lashing out on you every moment you slip up," silence. "I'm sorry for punishing you for nothing you had control over."

"Let's get out of the rain," he suggested, pulling her body closer to him. "Then you can _show _me how sorry you are once we get inside."

She playfully slapped his arm. "Pervert."

"Pervert? I was just going to have you make me tea or something." He shook his head. "Looks like someone has a dirty mind." He said in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, please." she responded, but she was blushing profusely, happy for the dark storm clouds that hid her embarrassment from him.

They entered as quickly as she had exited, and Ranma turned to face her, blocking her exit."Exactly what was on your mind from before?"

"Shut up." she ordered, but made no attempt to escape as he pressed his lips on her, forcing her back to press against the wall. Their fingers laced together as he picked her up, her legs linking around his waist.

_Riinnggg!_

He ignored it, but she pulled away, smiling apologetically as she reached for the phone. "Hello?"

"A-Akane?"

"Nabiki!" Akane exclaimed, uneasy from the alertness in her sister's usual calm and in control voice. "Is everything OK?"

"Turn on the news Akane. Now!"

"Okay, okay," she motioned for Ranma to turn it on. "I don't understand what's the big issue here-"

"Akane..."

She turned to the direction Ranma's voice came from and instantly the telephone dropped to the floor. "Why is Ukyo on the news? Nabiki, I'll call you back."

She blasted the volume, the information not correctly processing. The color drained from her face as she peered at Ranma's lifeless blue eyes, both of them unable to speak.

"_Ukyo Kuonji was found inside of her very popular restaurant, hung from a rope placed in her room. Along with the slashes on her forearm, forensic scientists have concluded that this was a suicide. Why? The police have not yet released to the public. Customers mourn her death, wondering what could have caused this well-liked woman to commit suicide. There are no suspects so far..."_

She gazed at Ranma with disbelief, one thought forming in her mind: "Oh my God! I killed Ukyo! I killed Ukyo!"

A/N: How was that? I know I haven't updated any of my stories in awhile and it's heard to transition from lovey-dovey couple into some type of sci-fi mystery stuff. I was originally planning on this being a happy type story, but I wanted something as unexpected as Ukyo killing herself.

Dark, I know, but the story will hopefully get better as it progresses. Please review and tell me what you think! Your opinions mean a lot!

I'm on Spring Break, and you know how Spring is a season of miracles... like me updating. (:


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